Off-beat Radio
by tastes-like-ciel
Summary: A trip to an island paradise takes a turn for the exotic when Yuma meets a radio host with a heavenly voice and a taste for fruity drinks. Keyshipping. AU.
1. Cups

Title: Off-beat Radio

Genre: Humor/Romance/Friendship

Rating: M

Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use and mentions of other adult things. **Characters might be out-of-character**, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced. Possibly rated higher than it should be, but…mm.

Summary: A trip to an island paradise takes a turn for the exotic when Yuma meets a radio host with a heavenly voice and a taste for fruity drinks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

Serena: I just want it to go on record that I'm actually _not_ a Keyshipper. ahaha I just haven't really found a reason to ship them at the moment (and yet I'm writing this). I don't have a Zexal ship, honestly. I _do_ ship Astral with a YGO character, but it's a, what I've labeled for myself as, "5DXAL ship". lol I'm also not that far into the show. I'm still in the World Duel Carnival part. So, no spoilers for me please? lol Thank you for understanding.

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Chapter 1: Cups

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Smooth jazz poured through the open windows like smoke curling from a lit cigarette. Saxophone vibrations danced in the air with all the grace of a ballerina twirling on-stage and soft drum beats threaded through the portable radio speakers in calming, rhythmic booms. It made the atmosphere hazy and brought a heaviness to his eyelids he couldn't quite shake off. This music genre wasn't normally his preference and had his brain not been half melted, he might have switched the station to something more upbeat a while back, something catchy and electronic that he could have danced to. As things were, his brain was cooked from the godforsaken heat and _this_ was the only radio station that would pick up. Everything else was a snow of static.

"I thought we were going to an island resort, not _Hell_." he grumbled to himself, a grimace tugging at his lips.

The sun was so scorching hot that even the clouds had withered away from its intense shine, leaving a sea of baby blue and no real protection to anyone wandering around outside. Maybe the locals had a secret to surviving in this weather because all the ones he had seen were prancing around in skimpy outfits and smiling like they hadn't a care in the world. He was just lucky enough to be shaded by the roof of the car he was lounging in, but without any cool air, the heat was still _unbearable _to sit in. It was like he was sitting inside a furnace built above an active volcano. His clothes were sticking to his skin from the sweat seeping from his pores and his oddly spiked hair was drooping so much he thought it might lose its shape.

He stared up at the vehicle's ceiling, eyes half-lidded and mind drowsy with heat and boredom. He took a breath of the scorched air, only to let it all out in a pained moan. His lungs felt like they were _burning_.

"_For fuck's sake, Akari_." he whined as he rolled onto his side, away from the driver's side and towards his own window. The faux leather seats squeaked in protest and pulled at his skin, delaying his movements somewhat as he practically unpeeled himself from the cushions. He gave a little whiney groan. "_What_ is taking you so long?"

Lying along the sticky vinyl seats of the rental car his elder sister had purchased (dying of heat stroke and sweating enough to flood the Nile) had _not_ been on his list of summer activities. At this rate, he was going to be nothing more than a shriveled corpse by the time his sister finally returned with directions. What he wouldn't give to be sitting in the luxury of an air-conditioned hotel room right about now…

'_She could have left me the keys._'

Even with the windows rolled down, the heat was hellish. There wasn't even a breeze. Had Akari left the car keys in his care rather than take them with her, he could have turned the vehicle's air conditioning on twenty minutes ago. Granted, she probably hadn't planned on being gone for so long, but still.

He glanced out the passenger window to send a sleepy glare at the gas station they had stopped at. Except for one or two passing individuals, the place was practically deserted. Hell, the dirt road beside it was deserted as well. It was one of those places that were sort of out in the middle of nowhere. It was old, surrounded by sun-bleached signs, and the gas pumps and broken metal fencing surrounding the back were patched with rust.

Of all the places to stop and ask for directions, Akari had to pick the place that (at least in the movies) serial killers and crazed stalkers liked to pop up at. _Yay_.

"_Ahhh. Nothing like a little jazz to set the mood, am I right?"_

He turned away from the gas station doors to glare at a little black radio that had been set inside a random cup holder. The sultry jazz melody he had been idly listening to gradually played itself into oblivion as the voice spoke over it. The music helped him to stay relatively calm, but other than making him feel drowsy, that was all it did. What mood was it supposed to set? _Ugh._ He wished this wasn't the only radio station that would pick up. This radio host guy was an annoying little shit.

"Don't even start."

The voice on the radio sighed in bliss, completely ignoring the teen's irritated comment.

"_I know it put me in a good mood~" _the voice continued. He hummed thoughtfully. _"Afraid that's all from me for today, though! I've got a party to head to tonight. I can't stick around here all day. Haha! And you know what party I'm talking about? Oooh, that's right. The one and only Disaster Train concert happening tonight at the Lagoon!"_

He blinked a couple of times, curiosity shimmering in his scarlet gaze. Disaster Train? The name didn't ring a bell. Was that some local celebrity band or an indie group from overseas maybe?

"_It's gonna be __**wild**__!_" the host continued to gush. From the short time the teen had known of him, the radio host gave a lot of praise to practically everyone. _"I __**might**__ even get laid. Ladies, I'm available all night~"_

He could also be somewhat of a sex-obsessed douche. Before that jazz song had played, the radio host had given a description of a girl he hooked up with the week prior that made the teen blush three shades of red. The description of the lady's breasts alone had been enough to make the whole thing X-rated. Thank God Akari hadn't been around to hear it.

"_This is Guilleo signing off, but don't switch off that radio just yet! We'll be playing an exclusive song from Disaster Train's new album, Voodoo Lesion, called Requiem for a Corpse Eater. And afterward, our resident pretty boy from the Golden District will be here to sweet talk you into a musical orgasm that'll have your toes curling and body shuddering __**all**__. __**Night**__. __**Long**__~"_

Without any further goodbyes from Guilleo, the radio went silent for a few moments before the echoing boom of a drum spilled out of its speakers. It was followed by more drum booms and the sound of a keyboard began to twine around the beats in echoing twinkles. Guitar strums joined the mass of sound and it all eventually wrapped into slow lyrics.

"_I lost my way. Somewhere around oblivion. And the colors are pristine. With the shade of your red."_

The singer's voice was scratchy and flew into those high notes with such ease it made the teen feel a little envious. The singer dipped into a long, creepy scream then and the music swelled into a silence filled with reverberating guitar strokes before everything exploded into a heavy metal-esque melody.

'_Not bad._' he found himself thinking as singer and music alike danced around each other. Considering the tropical nature of the island, the song was a bit out-of-place, but he found himself tapping a finger against the armrest anyway. '_Kinda too dark for me, but at least I'm not sleepy anymore._'

The song lasted another minute or two and just got creepier and creepier the longer it droned on. The teen briefly wondered if all their songs sounded so morbid, but as it finished itself off with the dying sounds of vibrating guitar strings and echoing keyboard notes, he was distracted from the thought by the sound of a new voice.

"_Good afternoon, Mercivir residents."_

Oh.

"_For any new listeners, my name is Astral and I'll be your host until the sun goes down."_

Oh, _wow_. What a _voice_ this one had. The teen suddenly felt a bit flustered. He always did have a _horrible_ weakness for nice voices…

"_Or at least, until the sun sets. I would hate to deprive you of those warm colors. The view from the beach is especially lovely. Have you ever seen the way the water melts with the sun? It's breathtaking."_

_Oh_, a sunset wasn't the only thing stealing breathes.

The radio host's voice poured from those tiny speakers like the finest of split wine flowing over curtains of silk. It was soft and carried a graceful lit, but there was a roll of thunder in his tone that could've rivaled the mighty Zeus and easily struck down its listeners, leaving them all weak-kneed but positively _famished_ for an encore. There was even this sweet dip in his tone that was like a golden weave of melted caramel, just the right amount of saccharine coating to remain a teasing treat for his audience to devour without being overwhelming.

"_Mmm. It's more enjoyable when you have someone to share the sights with, but regardless, you and I will be together for quite a while. So, sit back and enjoy the show."_

_Mercy_, was he _real_? A voice _that_ come hither needed a restraining order dropped on it.

"_As the vast majority is already aware, a concert is being held at the Blue Lagoon tonight by a local favorite, Disaster Train. I…had no intention of going."_

A muffled voice called out from the background and Astral's burdened sigh flowed from the radio like a saccharine mist.

"_But I…might stop by for a moment or two. Emphasis on __**might**__." _he continued, despite an immediate protest by someone in the background. He cleared his throat, seemly trying to ignore any background distractions._ "But before we delve any deeper into that unfortunate topic, I would like to continue where we left off yesterday. I received a request from an avid listener who asked if I would sing for her. I promised I would, but was unable to yesterday." _

There was a rustling of papers and the sound of metal scraping against wood before Astral resumed speaking, an extra flutter of paper hiding beneath his soft voice.

"_Just one moment…"_

There was a bit of silence (save for the occasional rustling of this and that) before sound returned. It started as a clapping of hands and before long, a background melody of some kind of string instrument started up. It was upbeat and the melody fit the island atmosphere a lot better than Disaster Train's dark song had. The teen found he liked it already, but he was eager to hear the host sing.

'_I bet he sings nice, too._' he mused, trying to imagine what Astral sounded like while singing._ 'With a voice like that - _'

"_I got my ticket for the long way round. Two bottles of whiskey for the way. And I sure would like some sweet company. And I'm leaving tomorrow. What'd you say?"_

_Dear god, it was better than his weak attempts at imagining it._

"_Damn_…" the teen muttered, squirming a little in his seat from the sound as it carried on. This Astral character had a speaking voice that came straight out of Olympus, but _for God's sake_, that _singing_ could make even a god kneel. It was like ecstasy on air waves and sent pleasant shivers down his spine. "I didn't know people like this even _existed_."

"_-en I'm gone. When I'm gone. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me by my walk. You're gonna miss me by my talk. Oooh, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."_

When the host's voice lit up in song, it was like hearing the forbidden caress of an angel's tenor, unworthy of being heard by mere mortals but so _delicious_ it was downright sinful. The teen suddenly understood what Guilleo had meant by "musical orgasm". Astral managed to turn his insides into mush over radio frequencies without any effort whatsoever. _God_, imagine what listening to him in person was like!

"_I got my ticket for the long way round. The one with the prettiest of views. Its got mountains, its got rivers, its got sites to give you shivers. But it sure would be prettier with you."_

_Fuck_. It was like the man was _flirting_ with him. He made the song sound so personal and exotic that it was like being serenaded in the bedroom. The unfairness of this whole situation was just _astounding_. He'd never been more attracted to a set of vocal chords in all of his short, sixteen years of life.

"_-gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me by my hair. You're gonna miss me everywhere. Oh, you're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone."_

"Yuma!"

The teenager blinked out of his vocal-induced trance and turned towards the gas station entrance to see his elder sister jogging over to him, her hand waving a torn sheet of notebook paper in the air.

'_Aw, Akari, not now!_'

The fiery red-head stopped at his window and leaned against the passenger door, the slip of paper she held fluttering slightly as she brandished it. She offered him a brief, apologetic grin before speaking.

"Sorry for the wait, but I got the directions to the hotel. Finally." she said, sighing a little. She turned a short glare back towards the gas station doors before shaking her head and pushing away from the vehicle. "Here. Go ahead and start up the car. I know you're dying from the heat."

She tossed him the car keys before lazily moving away and beginning to make her way to the driver's side.

"Uh, thanks."

Yuma sent the little radio a disappointed look, having noted that Astral was no longer singing or even talking. Some other song was now playing that he didn't know the name of and while the female vocalist sounded nice, she had nothing on the embodiment of vocal sex that was Astral. Yuma doubted _anyone_ could sound as good as the radio host did, though.

'_I wonder what he looks like. It'd be cool to meet him.' _the teen mused as he cranked up the car and it (along with the air conditioning) roared to life. '_Oh, thank God! I was dying!_'

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: Just to be clear, I made Disaster Train up. They aren't based on anyone and neither is the music they played. Apologies for the horrible, made-up song lyrics by them, too. lol Oh, but the song Astral sings is real. It's called Cups and it's sung by Anna Kendrick. Check it out, if you have the time. It's really nice. Mm…welp. I'll see anyone interested next chapter~ I hope I did okay for a first time Zexal fic…


	2. Trouble's Got a Name

Serena: Oh my. I wasn't expecting such a response. Thank you all for your interest! By the way, I recently got a Zexal DVD that has episodes 1 – 73. So, spoilers won't be such a big thing for me anymore and I can catch up with everyone a lot quicker! I mean I still have a lot more to watch after that, but this is a good start, right? Ahhh, Astral's Japanese voice is just as amazing as his English one~ Oh, btw, how come Sherlock Astral isn't a thing in fanfics yet? The amount of fun you could have with that…fuu~

I'd like to give a thank you to Photonbitch, Leahtheredpearlvoice, Dusty, AlessandraCavallone, and fireflame1801 for their lovely reviews!

Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use and mentions of other adult things. **Characters might be out-of-character**, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

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Chapter 2: Trouble's Got a Name

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The Grande Numbers Hotel was probably one of the tallest monstrosities of glass Yuma had ever laid his eyes upon. With over 99 floors of varying suite accommodations and a giant pool that looked like it was built out of liquid crystal, it was easily the most recognizable landmark the island of Merciver had. Palm trees surrounded the establishment on patterned rows of low-cut, meticulously manicured grass and bleached white cement walkways twisted here and there, only to meet at a crossroads where a stone fountain of flowing water lay. Colorful luggage and tourists of all nationalities were scattered all over the place, many appearing to be around Yuma's age but most easily a decade or two older.

'_His monster has over 3,000 attack points, but she has all those face down cards… Man, I want a closer look!_'

He readjusted his grip upon the handle of his rolling suitcase as he stood by the fountain, D-Gazer set and gaze rooted to a duel that was taking place a few feet away. At 1,300 to 200 lifepoints respectively, it was bound to end fairly soon, but with the losing side's penchant for traps and effect monsters, anything could happen. He wished he could get a little closer to better observe the duel, but Akari had threatened to murder him if he wandered off and he quite liked his head where it was. He understood she was just looking out for him (new area and all that), but she could be so overprotective at times.

How much trouble could he possibly get into from indulging in a little duel time?

"This seat taken?"

Yuma felt his mouth go dry.

"H-hunh?"

He turned away from the on-going duel to lock a startled gaze onto a set of smoldering amber irises. They belonged to a man with an angular jawline and ears decorated with various silver piercings. He was fairly slender in build, but he was tall and his skin was so perfectly tanned that it would make any sun worshipper jealous. His hair was darker than the night sky and styled into a kind of silky Mohawk that swayed gently in the light breeze. A pair of dark, low-riding skinny jeans clung to his legs like a second skin and a buckled crop top showed off a set of lithe abdominals that would make Hercules cry.

And his _voice_. It was like lightning made of pure _desire_ that came straight from Hell, molded by a succubus with _far_ too much time on her hands. It was so deep and filled with unadulterated _want_ that it made Yuma's knees weak. The hell, did this island breed sex appeal? First Astral (and God only knew what he looked like) and now…_this_.

_God damn this guy was fine._

The stranger's lips twisted into an amused smirk at Yuma's gawking silence. He cocked his hips to the side and crossed his arms, the various belts and chains draped around his hips clinking together as he took a step forward. He hummed and took a slow drag from the lit cigarette he held before repeating his question in drawn out syllables.

"Do you mind if I _join_ you?" he asked, words rolling of his tongue like molten lava as cigarette smoke flowed from his lips. It shouldn't have looked as attractive as it did. Yuma's grip on his suitcase tightened. "A little rendezvous never hurt anyone, right?"

_Oh_, that voice could make a mountain quake and set fire to the sea. It rumbled in low, _maddeningly_ teasing waves that caressed its listener's ears like a moist tongue. Some part of it sounded oddly familiar, but another careful shift of the stranger's hips proved to be too much of a distraction and Yuma couldn't focus enough to think.

"Ah…I…"

He apparently couldn't talk, either.

The dark-haired man let out an amused chuckle that borderlined on being manic giggling and took another drag from his cigarette before he made a move forward.

"You're _cute_." he said, causing a blush to rise to the teen's cheeks. He moved to sit along the edge of the fountain (merely a few inches from the still standing Yuma) and crossed one leg over the other. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling it a little bit. "Name's Mist. What's yours~?"

_Mist_.

Yuma barely suppressed a shiver at the name. This man had somehow managed to turn his voice into a biological weapon fit for destroying brain activity. With each word that tumbled from his smoky breath, a trickle of goosebumps tickled at the teen's skin. It felt like having warm molasses poured over his head or slick fingers teasing at his waistband. Hell, maybe both.

Yuma wasn't going to survive the vacation at this rate.

"Y-Yuma." the teen managed, more blood rushing to his face as Mist continued to stare at him. _Lord_, he felt like he was being _undressed_ by that ridiculously wanton gaze. "Yuma Tsukumo."

An audible _purr_ rumbled in Mist's throat and he moved the hand at his knee to trail a suggestive two fingers up his own thigh before letting the hand settle against the fountain. Yuma wasn't certain if it was intentionally sexual or not.

"Yuma." he repeated, drawing out the syllables like wisps of fog. Maybe there was a reason his name was "Mist". Even if it wasn't his real name, it certainly fit him well enough. Because _goddamn_. "Japanese, right? Hmm. Interesting. I've always had a thing for foreigners."

Mist shifted a little closer and leaned Yuma's way, just enough to where the teenager could feel his body heat. He took another slow drag from his cigarette and blew a puff of smoke at Yuma, winking as he did so.

"Especially _cute_ ones."

_Oh god, this wasn't even happening right now. What did he do to deserve this?_

A nervous chuckle forced its way out of Yuma's throat and he fiddled with his suitcase handle, trying in vain to tear his gaze away from Mist's. But those eyes were like black holes of dark amber that drowned its victims in a pool of lust.

'_Please tell me I fell asleep in the car. People like him just __**can't**__ exist and even if they did, why hit on __**me**__?!_'

Yuma wasn't exactly used to receiving attention from walking sex gods. Oh, he liked to look at attractive people, but anything more than that was out of his comfort zone. He would rather spend his time dueling and making friends. Of course, he did have some rather attractive friends, but he'd never really given much thought into pursuing any of them romantically or otherwise.

"I-is that why you're creeping around a tourist hotel?" Yuma asked, trying to force his blush down. "You're stalking foreigners?"

Mist raised an eyebrow at him and huffed out a giggle. His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Just the short ones I can make quick work of _eating_." he countered. His eyes very briefly dropped below Yuma's waist and his tongue darted out to slide along the corner of his mouth. His eyes darkened. "I can do things with my mouth that will have you seeing stars."

Yuma gave up all hope of ridding himself of his blush.

He spluttered (trying to scramble together a coherent response), but as he stood there gapping at the man's audacity, Mist started laughing. He leaned back, shoulders shaking and laughter ringing in a way that sent shivers down the teen's spine. His manic giggling earned a few stares from passing individuals and caused embarrassment to well up in Yuma's chest. _Jeez_, where was Akari when he needed her?

"Your _face_!" Mist said, voice breathless with laughter. He tried to take another puff of his cigarette, but doubled over as giggles wracked his frame. "_Ahehehehehe_, _oh god_, I needed that. You're fucking _perfect_."

After a moment more of insane giggling, Mist managed to collect himself enough to breathe properly, but even though his laughter had died down, an amused smirk still remained on his lips. He took a quick drag from his ever burning cigarette before pushing himself to stand. The sound of his belt buckles clinking together as he turned to Yuma was somehow deafening despite the chatter of voices surrounding them.

Mist took a step forward and reached out to trail his middle finger under Yuma's chin. To his credit, Yuma managed to keep eye contact, but it was hard not to shiver at the taller man's touch. He was sure Mist felt it.

"You free tonight, cutie?" Mist asked. He applied a little pressure to the underside of Yuma's chin and made the teen's head tilt upward slightly. "If not, mind clearing your schedule? I'd like to…_know_ you better~"

Fuck _fuck_ _**fuck**_. Did _everything_ he say have to sound like some kind of innuendo? He was such a damn _tease_.

"What, like a date?" Yuma asked, frowning a little. He was surprised his own voice wasn't shaking. "I've known you all of five minutes. For all I know, you're an ax murderer."

"Oh, believe me, if my intentions were murder, this courtyard would be a bloodbath." he replied with a short chuckle. He took one last drag from his cigarette before flicking the shortened stick away and blowing out a puff of smoke that made Yuma cough. "Alas, I prefer more _pleasurable_ activities. You know, the kind that has cute foreigners screaming my name until they forget other words exist."

Yup. Definitely an ax murderer. Yuma was going to die before the night was over. He was fucked.

Probably literally, if Mist had a say in the matter.

"But yes." he continued, finger still holding Yuma's chin. "Let's have a _friendly_ date. At the Blue Lagoon."

Yuma blinked. The Blue Lagoon? Didn't Astral say he might pop in there for a bit?

"What kind of 'friendly date' do you mean?" the teen asked, hardly believing he was really even considering this.

Mist's eyes twinkled with a mischievous light.

"Oh, the _friendliest_~" he answered before finally removing his finger and allowing Yuma control of his head. He sent the teen a highly suggestive smirk before he turned and began to walk away, throwing back a lazy wave as he moved. "Ten o' clock, cutie! Make sure to wear something loose. They're easier to remove~"

Yuma felt his blush flare up.

"I didn't say yes!"

He didn't receive an answer and it wasn't until after Mist had sauntered off (hips swaying from side to side like a model on a catwalk and laughter flowing back to him like a siren's call) that Yuma realized he hadn't found trouble at all. Trouble had quite literally emerged from whatever haven of gods it called home and used its otherworldly powers to manipulate him into agreeing on a date.

Yuma groaned. _Damn_. His attraction to nice voices was going to be the _death_ of him one of these days. Just what in the world had he gotten himself into?

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: Don't worry. I'm just ship teasing. There's no actual Tentacleshipping (or whatever it's called) in this. Mist is just being a flirty sneak (you'll see why next chapter). Also, Black Mist isn't evil in this, just so you know. He's more a sassy, mischievous asshole that can't keep it in his pants and lives off flirting. *shot* Anyway, are you guys enjoying it so far? I'm certainly having fun writing this. haha


	3. Siblings?

Serena: Mist is so fun to write about. He's such a sassy little bastard and if I ever get the chance to write him more canonically (i.e. evil)…hehe~ Mm, but Astral is fun to write about, too. He's so adorable. I just wanna squish his face and give him an Eskimo kiss. Precious~

I'd like to give a thank you to Scyler, Leahtheredpearlvoice, fireflame1801, NeonDew, AlessandraCavallone, and Maplesnowchunks for their lovely reviews!

Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use and mentions of other adult things. **Characters might be out-of-character**, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

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Chapter 3: Siblings?

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A few hours of random wandering and a cigarette or four later eventually lead Mist back towards the Golden District, where he and his elder brother lived. It was filled with pristine beaches so white it was like staring into a sea of diamonds and the water was so clear one could swear it was made of glass. At the district's upper side resided upscale apartment complexes and seaside bungalows built to house island natives and the wealthier tourists that visited. On the lower end were where the majority of the hotel bungalows were built (as well as a substantial amount of beachside dives, only one of which was worth Mist's time) and was a natural magnet for younger tourists looking to get their fill of sand, sun, and a never-ending river of booze.

The wooden planks underneath his boot-clad feet creaked as he walked across the pier, slowly but surely closing in on his destination located at the very end of the boardwalk. It was a quaint little bamboo house with a thatched roof and its own patio that overlooked the ocean. The building itself (like the neighboring ones) was built right above a shallow portion of the surrounding sea water, in a sense creating its own little mini-island. Surprisingly, the seemingly fragile looking structure was like a tank against bad weather. Heavy rain and hard winds barely fazed the structure, but it probably helped that bad weather generally steered clear of them to begin with. A stroke of luck, Mist supposed.

"Wonder if he's home…" he mumbled to himself as he finally reached the pier's end. He paused at the head of the short walkway that merged into the house's porch and titled his head slightly, fingers twitching at his side. Maybe a quick smoke before he did this? "Hm."

He shook his head after a moment and carried on with his walking. Nah. He could handle his brother better than anyone else could. He knew him that well. And if Mist couldn't talk him into accepting a blind date for a concert of a band his brother hated, no one could. It would probably be a bit tricky, but if he pestered his darling brother enough and just generally made himself a nuisance, then maybe…

He stepped onto the porch and threw open the set of wooden double doors there without even bothering to knock.

"Oh, big brother~!" he called, announcing his presence with a sickeningly perky greeting. He waltzed inside and glanced around, eyes roaming over various pieces of wicker furniture and other colorful household decorations as he searched for his sibling. "Come out, come out wherever you are~"

He left the front doors open and took in the sights the house had to offer. Before the two of them had moved in, the building had been colored in boring, earthy shades of brown. Mist hadn't minded it so much (he wasn't exactly home a lot to begin with), but his brother couldn't stand the lack of color and drove Mist insane trying to "fix" it. Now, it was dyed in practically every color imaginable from ceiling to floor. Patterned rugs littered the floor, accent pillows with swirly designs decorated the furniture, hibiscus flowers of varying colors decorated the windowsills and tables, and potted green plants sat here and there, one of them particularly burdensome due to its close proximity to the refrigerator (and he swears his brother put it there just to irritate him). It was all rather girly, so Mist thought, but hell, if it made his brother happy to have their home looking like a candle store, why fuck with it?

A steady clattering of computer keys eventually reached his ears and alerted him to another's presence. He turned towards the living room area only to find the illuminated figure of his dear older brother taking up residence on the couch, an opened silver laptop seated across his lap. Long, pale fingers skittered across the keyboard like a pianist performing one of Beethoven's symphonies and eyes like liquid gold remained rooted to the screen, hardly sparing so much as a brief glance in Mist's direction when the darker of the two began to draw near.

"You're going to get premature wrinkles glaring at the screen like that." Mist mused out loud, leaning against the side of the couch once he reached it. He blinked down at the screen and quirked an eyebrow at it questioningly. "The hell are you writing that has you so pissed off looking? You're not on Tumblr again, are you?"

Without turning his head or even moving his eyes away from the screen, his brother denied the accusation and hit the spacebar with a little more force than Mist thought was necessary.

"Thesis."

Mist allowed an aggravated sigh to spill from his lips at the answer. His thesis? The one involving the history of Duel Monsters or was this the one about the ancient world's variations of the underworld? Or wait…pft. His brother wrote a lot of this shit. Mist couldn't keep up with him.

"_Another_ one? Astral, please…" Mist sighed. _This_ nonsense was one of the many reasons why Mist had made it his personal mission to get his brother laid before he was thirty. Because it wasn't going to happen otherwise and Astral couldn't stay holed up in libraries and internet research forever. One would think Astral being a host on the island's lone radio station would have given the man a sense of adventure, but no, no, no. Astral _still_ preferred his research over human companionship. It was as depressing as it was irritating. "Which one is _this_ one about? Please tell me it involves something sexual. That would make my year."

That earned a quick, sideways glance from Astral, but nothing more as he continued to type away at his laptop.

"If you must know, it concerns interdimensional space travel and the facsimiles multiple dimensions have with one another." he answered. He paused for a moment to brush a stray strand of oceanic hair behind his ear and took a moment to stretch his back before resuming his steady stream of typing. "Natural portals and time variations exist within unseen colloidal fields. Time displacement. Fascinating theory, but better suited as a plot device for fictional – _Mist_. Please remove yourself from around my shoulders. It is inhibiting my typing ability."

Sometime during Astral's rambling, Mist had sluggishly sunk over the couch armrest and slithered his way behind his brother's back. Here, he proceeded to be annoying for the sake of being a little shit (it's what little brothers did best, after all). Ignoring his brother's protests, he kept his arms draped around Astral's neck and leaned against him, an increasingly mischievous shine clouding his eyes.

"How delightfully nerdy of you." he replied, almost fondly. He ruffled Astral's hair (which earned an indignant grunt and his hand being swatted away) and hummed. "You know what else is delightful? _Music_."

Astral's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked, distrust dripping from his tone. "Is there a reason you're pestering me like this?"

Mist feigned innocence, but because this was Mist (who was practically the king of delinquents) the attempted innocent look was horribly easy to see through. Hell, a blind person could have seen through it. It was that pitiful.

"_Mist_."

The dark-haired sibling poked at Astral's cheek and shrugged carelessly.

"I dunno. Music, concert, the Lagoon —"

Astral grimaced and immediately shook his head. He tried to peel himself out of Mist's hold, but once again, he was unsuccessful. He huffed.

"I do not like that particular brand of music. Furthermore, Disaster Train is just that. _A disaster_." the elder said. He swatted at Mist's wandering hand when it tried to slither towards his laptop and he pulled the still open device closer to protect it. "They have a horrible reputation for trashing their own concerts and I don't want to become caught up in the middle of all that."

"What if I said the leader promised not to do any of that this time?" Mist pressed. He tried to make another grab for Astral's precious laptop, but missed his mark. He pouted a little. "We had a little talk~ Unless he wants to miss out on my mouth around his cock, his little entourage has to behave. That was the deal. You know how _unreasonable_ I can be when someone _lies_ to me."

Astral shivered.

"I am aware…" he mumbled, briefly thinking back to a time when Mist had been less than forgiving towards some poor sap on the beach. A tickling at his neck quickly pulled him from his thoughts, however, and he swatted at Mist's ever wandering fingers in annoyance. "but _no_. I will _not_ go."

Pft.

"Brother, would it kill you to indulge my dangerous side even a _little_ bit? I _threatened_ someone for you." the younger said and cuddled against Astral. "Now go on a date with me as thanks~"

Astral rolled his eyes at the whiney tone and, having apparently given up all hope of escaping his clingy younger sibling, tried to resume his work. His eyes drifted back towards the laptop screen and typing sounds quickly began to fill up the room.

"You're not dangerous." he stated with a sigh. "Just _highly_ immature. The only danger you pose is to the highway when you drive. Now, _go away_. As you can see, I am quite busy. If the station manager put you up to this –"

"Tell him to piss off?"

Astral paused.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly use those words…"

"I'll pass the message along, if I see him." Mist said, waving his free hand in the air as if to dismiss it. "But no one put me up to this. I'm just an asshole."

'_At least he's honest._' Astral mused to himself with a shake of his head.

An odd moment of silence stretched out between them then in which Astral merely sat there typing (ignoring Mist) and Mist just sort of watched him do so. None of Astral's writing really made sense to him, but it rarely did. The only thing he had actually found interesting was the one about the origin of Duel Monsters that included an old legend about three "God" cards that the King of Games himself had wielded. It was hard to say whether they existed or not (because they had supposedly disappeared at some point), but it was intriguing to read about. Such cards would probably wreck the AR system completely, but fancying himself a servant of chaos, Mist wouldn't have minded seeing such a thing happen.

But, eh. Fairytales and all that.

As he continued to idly watch, Mist became a bit distracted by a Baby Tiragon desktop mascot hanging out in the screen corner. It appeared to be sleeping at the moment. Above its head was a little mail icon that had a number one written in blue colored font.

"You have an e-mail." he said, stating the obvious.

"Mm-hm." was all Astral bothered to contribute.

Alright.

He was bored.

This was _boring_.

Time to be a little shit again. It was his special, non-sexual talent, after all.

"_Mmm_. You know what you should _really_ do a thesis on? The glory of _tentacle porn_." Mist purred out in suggestion, nuzzling his cheek against Astral's like a kitten. He let his hand wander again and was pleased when his drawling words and wandering fingers earned a small shiver. "Or really just porn in general. _Oh_, even better, do _kinks_. That would give you _all_ the mental probing you could handle and more~ I know how much you _love_ mind diving. Honestly, I think that's a kink in and of itself."

Astral tried yet again to pull himself away, but Mist was like an octopus when he got clingy. When he had you, _he had you_ and only an act of God or death could help you escape.

Or a nice set of passing legs. Mist had a thing for those.

"I am not interested in providing you with masturbatory material." Astral replied, annoyance ringing clear in his voice. He made a little noise in the back of his throat as he tried to use his elbow to push Mist away. It didn't work, of course. Mist just held on more tightly. The bastard. "Tentacles are _creepy_ and you're acting like a child. _Get off me_."

Mist huffed out another of his manic little giggles and let his probing fingers wander down Astral's side. He poked at his sibling's ribs, earning a startled squeak and a hard elbow to the shoulder.

"If you tickle me, I swear to God, I - _ah!_ _Mist, stop it!_"

The darker of the two siblings raised an eyebrow and hummed in a sing-songy tone, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Irritating his sibling was probably one of his favorite activities. It was right up there with sex and eating sea salt ice cream. Astral was normally so reserved, but when his buttons were pushed, he made the most interesting expressions.

"Hadn't crossed my mind," Mist said and it was clearly a lie, if the smirk was anything to go by. "but since you mentioned it~"

A soft pinch and a few fingers digging into his side had Astral struggling not to drop his laptop as a restrained flow of giggles tumbled from his lips. He tried to swat his brother's probing fingers away, but it was a pointless endeavor and due to his squirming legs and twisting torso, he was forced to pay more attention to saving his continually slipping laptop rather than save himself.

It was amusing to watch really. Mist could have easily kept teasing him until he swallowed his pride and admitted defeat, but a voice cleared its throat, causing Mist to pause in his actions. He leaned back against the couch a little (just enough to see who had wandered inside) and blinked in a bored fashion. He raised the hand he still had at Astral's waist in a lazy wave.

"Yo." he greeted the blonde at the door.

The newcomer (pale like Astral and Mist assumed it was due to lack of sunlight because library nerds) shook his head a little at the two of them (seemingly not amused by their antics), but Mist noticed the slight twinge of pink dusting the man's cheeks. _Oh ho_, so he liked seeing Astral like that, did he? How _cute_. The man's little crush on Astral was so painfully obvious it was a wonder how Astral himself remained so oblivious of it. Ah well. Mist's goal today was to hook Astral up with an interesting little foreigner and (hopefully) get him laid, not push him and his research partner together.

Another day, perhaps, but not today. Too much work and Mist himself had plans tonight.

"I came to give you this," the man said, holding up a thick manila envelope. His sharp, pale blue eyes narrowed a bit at the two of them for a moment before he averted his gaze elsewhere, blush still there but he was clearly fighting to suppress it. "but since you're busy _fraternizing_…"

He turned away (probably intending to walk off and leave Astral to the mercy of his brother), but the blue-haired sibling made a small noise in protest and called out to him. He began struggling again, but Mist just sat there like a sleepy sloth holding onto a tree limb, completely unfazed by Astral's squirming.

"K-Kaito, wait! Don't leave me alone with him!"

-x-x-

"What am I even _doing_?"

Yuma sat atop one of the two hotel beds within he and his sister's shared room. With matching light blue sheets and a ridiculously large pile of white pillows arranged nearest the headboard, both beds were pretty much identical. Yuma had claimed the one that had been placed nearest the window and his suitcase was currently on the floor, various articles of clothing spilling from its mouth and creating a little trail leading up to the bed. The teen had his legs crossed and his red eyes were staring down at a few outfits he had laid upon the bed like they had personally offended him.

Which one would be suitable? The one with the chains or maybe the one paired with the shorts? What about that striped shirt he had in his suitcase? It would look good with those skinny jeans he had. Then again…

He frowned as dusts of pink began to flutter across his cheeks.

Ah fuck. What did someone even _wear_ when their date could cause cardiac arrest just by _looking_ at them?

He tangled his fingers in his spiked hair and let out an aggravated growl. Not only was he irritated with himself for not being able to decide on a damn outfit, but he was irritated with the fact that he was actually going to meet up with this complete and total stranger who _clearly_ had less than noble intentions. Again, that Mist character was probably secretly an ax murderer.

'_Wear something loose. What an asshole_.'

An asshole with some fine ass hips, to be sure. _Ooo_. That man could unite the nations with a swing of those hips.

"_Aaaaagggghhhh_…"

Yuma let himself fall sideways, his glare having turned mournful as he continued to stare at his clothes. Since when did he become so hormonal? Why couldn't he just stick to dueling? Or stare at pretty girls like Tetsuo? Or ogle sweet guys like Kotori? Why did he have to be attracted to a prick with such a sinfully hot voice? _God damn it_.

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: The real asshole would be me for doing this to you, Yuma, but hey. Let's not point fingers. Anyway, aha, I don't have anything else to say. I've done enough damaged for one day. Till next time!


	4. It's On

Serena: I can see why people Keyship now. Still don't really consider myself a Keyshipper, tho. I certainly have a lot of feels for those two and I like reading Keyshipping and stuff, but…iunno. This chapter was really fun to write. haha~

I'd like to give a thank you to Asakajou, Leahtheredpearlvoice, MapleSnowchunks, My Reality Is My Own, fireflame1801, Sister Of The Pharaoh, and Jenny for their lovely reviews!

Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use and mentions of other adult things. **Characters might be out-of-character**, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 4: It's On

-x-x-x-x-

The steady beating of music thumping against sets of inner walls saturated the night air in a chorus of hypnotic heartbeats. It drew passing tourists in like moths to a flame and swallowed them up in a sea of savory, wafting smells. The music and aromas poured out the restaurant like the multicolored flashes of pink, blue and yellow that lit up the opened entrance to the beachside structure like spotlights lighting up a runway. The people entering (or exiting; it was hard to tell really) varied in height and build, but they all wore interesting outfits. Short skirts, bikini tops, flared slacks, designer bags, tight jeans, etc. You name it, someone was probably wearing it.

Gazing at it all from a relatively safe distance and fidgeting with a buckled leather bracelet Kotori had given him as a birthday present one year, Yuma wasn't certain what he was doing here.

Well, _no_, that was a _lie_. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing in such a party-driven place. He came expecting to see that seductive piece of Asgardian hellfire in leather that was Mist. He just wasn't sure _why_ he actually went through with showing up when he hardly knew the guy. For all Yuma knew, Mist had been playing a rather cruel joke on him and being the gullible idiot he was, Yuma took the stranger's word as truth.

"Maybe I should have left a will before I left…" Yuma muttered to himself as he stood staring at the Blue Lagoon like it would pick itself up and eat him. He let out a short sigh. "Well, I'm already here…"

He swallowed a nervous lump that had formed in his throat and took a few tentative steps towards the lit up building. He tried to put a bit more confidence into his stride and attempted to force his expression to relax into his typical, happy-go-lucky smile, but his movements were jerky and his lips would only form a kind of nervous grimace that he could get to stop twitching at the corners. _God_, he probably looked as lost as he felt, like a small child searching for their mother in a sea of unfamiliar faces.

'_Come on, Yuma. Just relax. This is no big deal._' he tried telling himself, but the more he walked, the closer he came to the building and the more his heart pounded. His nerves were getting _worse_. '_What's there to be scared of? You met the guy once already and yeah, he was a prick, but a __**really**__ good looking prick and…and…__**ah shit**__._'

His brain dropped itself into a metaphorical gutter more times than he cared for. Damn hormones.

"Hey, kid."

Yuma paused as a heavy, raspy voice broke through his thoughts. He glanced up only to realize that he was standing just before the entrance to the Lagoon and standing there like a sentry guarding a treasure vault were two equally terrifying men with a set of bulging muscles that could put a Saiyan to shame.

A couple of bouncers, to be more specific and being a foreigner with nothing but a learner's permit that never saw much use (and had promptly been left back at the hotel), Yuma realized he didn't have any I.D. on him (and that was bad because if this went sour, Akari would be the first to catch wind of it and he would be in _all_ sorts of trouble).

And even if he had of remembered to bring his I.D. (permit or passport, either would have sufficed), from the looks of things, these guys weren't going to allow a sixteen year old inside anyway. He was _clearly_ underage.

The two bouncers guarding the completely vulnerable entrance to the club (bar, restaurant, whatever the hell it was) were positively _massive_ and, quite frankly, looked like something out of a bad Hollywood movie. Donned in form fitting shirts that looked like they would rip apart from even the most miniscule of muscle flexes and slacks that did everything to accentuate their bulky thighs, they stood on either side of the entrance with their backs to the wall and their hands folded in front of them. They almost resembled statues. Neither one moved so much as an inch regardless of how many people strolled in or out. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of their shoulders, Yuma would have had no problem in believing them to be robots.

The one that had addressed Yuma was the more intimidating of the two, if for no other reason than due to the sunglasses he had hiding his eyes. He stood there staring at the teen, a small frown tugging at his thin lips. It made Yuma take a step back and gulp.

"M-me?" he questioned rather meekly, hesitantly pointing at himself.

"Yeah. _You_."

Oh, this wasn't good. This wasn't good _at all_.

A heartbeat of apprehension passed in which Yuma was certain he was about to get his ass kicked. The two bulky men stood silently at their posts, merely staring holes through him. Yuma was tempted to turn around and forget all about his date, but before he could move away, the strangest thing happened.

The guy that spoke to him _smiled_.

"Don't look so nervous there, kid. Nuthin' but friends all around here." he said in a surprisingly cheerful tone of voice. Yuma could only gawk as the man's partner nodded his head in agreement. "First time right?"

"Y..yeah." Yuma answered, bewilderment quickly filling his eyes. How was he supposed to react to this? Weren't they going to ask for an I.D. or tell him to get lost? "You could say that."

The man laughed rather heartily and moved away from his post against the wall to carefully set a comforting hand on Yuma's shoulder.

"Ey, a looker like you got nothing to worry about, kid." he continued, causing Yuma to flush a bit at the unexpected compliment. "You'll fit right in. Trust me."

The other bouncer gave the teen a quick once over with his eyes before nodding his head approvingly.

"Ya. Who could say no to that? Get in 'ere, sweetheart. You've got a crowd of fans to please~"

Yuma felt a light push at his shoulder and before he could protest or say anything at all, he suddenly found himself stumbling inside the Lagoon. He rapidly blinked at the change of scenery and with a blush still on his face, he turned back only to see the two men sending him encouraging thumbs up. Not knowing what else to do, Yuma sent them a nervous smile and a little wave before turning back towards the glowing blue insides of the establishment.

'_That was…weird._' he thought to himself as he took in the new sights around him. Most everything glowed with a blue light and was decorated with an underwater theme that he kind of liked. '_I guess they were just trying to be nice, but they didn't even ask for my I.D. or question my age...and were they flirting with me?'_

He might not have had the fashion sense God gave the beautiful, but he had his moments and he was glad that tonight was one of those times. Yuma had received enough compliments between here and the hotel to feel confident that, yes, he picked a good outfit and looked damn _good_ in it. Slim-cut, black cargo shorts with a single chain (that looped around the belt in silver waves) showed off the smooth skin of his calves and had received plenty of shameless eye roaming long before Yuma had even left the hotel. Clinging to his torso was a striped, red and white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and sitting atop that was an opened, sleeveless white vest.

'_What, did they let me in cause they liked how I looked? Pft. No way. That's __**crazy**__. Maybe they just don't card people or something._'

He took a few steps inside as his hand unconsciously reached up to clench a golden necklace he was wearing around his neck. The strangely shaped artifact was an old family heirloom passed down to him from his father and Yuma very rarely ever took it off. It was probably one of his most prized possessions and he would sooner hand over his dueling deck than allow someone to take the necklace away from him. Having it around made him feel calmer when he was nervous and gave him hope when he had none. Holding it like he was had become such a habit that it was as automatic as breathing.

And with Mist lurking somewhere nearby (if he had even shown up, that is), Yuma needed all the reassurance and hope he could get.

-x-x-

"I hate you."

"I know."

"You're _despicable_."

"I know."

"I cannot believe I am related to someone so _annoyingly_ crass."

"I know."

"And you're a godforsaken _cheater_."

Mist finally lost his battle with keeping his laughter in check. His lips curled into a wide grin as he doubled over the bar counter, his shoulders shaking under the weight insane giggling. It was that type of laughter that started off silently and then gradually built up until it exploded from its host with a breathless gasp. The noise earned him an annoyed eye roll from Astral (who was sitting to his left giving him a nasty glare) and a slow head shake from the bartender (who sometimes wondered why he ever got involved with these siblings), but otherwise went unnoticed due to the pumping rhythm of the background music and entertainment going on all around them.

"You are so fucking cute when you're pissed off." Mist finally replied through his laughter. He leaned back in his seat and took hold of the margarita glass he had sitting in front of him. "I swear to God, Astral…"

After taking a moment to rein in his giggles and get himself under control, his grin twisted into an amused smirk as he took a sip from his glass. He turned towards his sulking brother and the smirk stretched a little more. He leaned over in his seat and pinned Astral with a smug gaze that just oozed an overly accomplished gleam.

"Just because I _happen_ to know where all your little ticklish spots are located, that automatically makes me a _cheater_? I didn't know you were such a sore loser, dear brother~"

Astral sent Mist the most _scathing_ of glares he could conjure up and promptly shoved the younger away from him. The blue-haired sibling turned back to his untouched drink and huffily folded his arms over the table. He then set his chin in his hand and pointedly kept his gaze away from his devious younger brother.

The blush on his face did not go unnoticed, however.

"Yes. It _does_." Astral insisted, eyes narrowing even further at a spot on the wall he had chosen to direct his anger at. "And not only did you exploit that knowledge for your own _selfish_ reasons, but you _talked Kaito into helping you _and I hate you_ both_."

Mist chuckled and he swirled the bright pink contents in his glass around a bit. The drink was a house special the bartender continually referred to as "Pink Panties". It was basically just pink lemonade blended with vodka and ice, but the way Thomas (the bartender that sometimes worked here) made it taste, _fuck_. It made him shiver and want to curl into himself with a delighted moan.

If Mist could have sex with a drink, it would definitely be this one.

"_Aw_, big brother, don't be like that." he said with an air of concern he couldn't quite make sound sincere. He took a quick sip of his ridiculously pink cocktail before pressing onward with a wave of his hand. "And Kaito was under orders to drag you here, too, you know? We had similar goals. You should just get over it and enjoy yourself."

"Go choke on a dick."

Mist cocked an eyebrow up at that and whistled at the vulgarity that dropped from his brother's normally so clean tongue. It was a _very_ rare occurrence for Astral to use _any_ kind of profanity, much less a phrase like _that_. He really was mad this time, wasn't he?

"And here I thought you didn't know phrases like that. Am I rubbing off on you finally~?"

Astral didn't dignify it with an answer. Rather, his cheeks puffed out a little and he stubbornly looked everywhere but at his brother.

Mist pouted.

"Astral, seriously, how long are you going to be angry with me?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing. While he did enjoy being a nuisance and getting under Astral's skin, he didn't like being ignored by him like this. It made him feel a bit guilty. "Astral."

The elder of the two still refused to look at him and that turned Mist's pout into a frown.

Well, this was fucking _fabulous_. How was he going to get back on Astral's good side again _this_ time?

Mist twisted around on his bar stool and leaned back against the counter. He let out a quiet, rather agitated sigh as his eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. He swirled the contents of his drink around and let his gaze idly roam the inhabitants of the room.

'_This night isn't going as planned._' he mused to himself. He took another sip of his drink and let out a low growl. '_Astral is pissed at me, the DJ is playing my jam and I can't fucking enjoy it, and my little date is—'_

His previously irritated amber gaze suddenly filled up with delight as a wandering figure decked out in red and black managed to catch his eye. Mist let out a rolling purr, his lips curling into a smirk as he crossed one leg over the other and set his free hand against his elbow. He took a slow sip of his drink and chuckled to himself.

If Astral noticed his sudden change in demeanor, he didn't say anything.

'-_here~_'

Mist didn't move from his spot and merely kept a burning gaze on Yuma as the teen aimlessly wandered around, no doubt in search of Mist himself. It didn't take long for Yuma to notice him and Mist ate up the slight shiver he noticed run through Yuma's body.

And _damn_. Those _legs_.

'_Oh, fuck me. If things with Astral don't work out, I'll __**gladly**__ take him._' he thought, smirk widening a bit at a blush that fluttered across Yuma's cheeks. '_I want those legs around me. __**Oooh**__, I bet he makes cute faces. __**Damn it**__, but my priorities…Astral comes first. Cutie is off-limits. Remember that._'

He sent Yuma a little wave before beckoning the teen to come over with a curl of his fingers and a suggestive lick against the rim of his margarita glass. It had the desired effect. Yuma's face turned ten shades of red before he worked up the nerve to make himself move and Mist just sat there with a smug grin, lightly sipping at his pink slush.

This was going to be a _very_ interesting night.

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: Thomas the bartender? I'll just ruin it for you now by saying that, yes, it _is_ IV. First person I thought of really. I ended up giving this story more background plot than I intended. So, I actually have even less of an idea as to how long this story will be now. Can't say whether I'll use any of it or not, but I'm just putting this out there as an FYI, in case stuff comes up later. And it just might. Don't know yet. Anyway, I guess it doesn't really matter how long this will be. It'll end when it ends, yeah? Anyway, that's all for now. Till next time, everyone~! **Oh yeah.** The "Saiyan" thing. It's a DBZ reference. lol


	5. First Meetings

Serena: I've watched up to episode 120. 111 utterly destroyed me. I cried so much that night. Ngh Anyway, I've come bearing gifts of start-up Keyship friendship and Mist smut shenanigans. No AstralxYuma smoochiness just yet. They did just meet, you know?

I'd like to give a thank you to Jenny, Allie X'I, wherethoudwells, MapleSnowchunks, Sister of the Pharaoh, Asakajou, fakemannequin, WwLOLwW, sonadowislife, LemonHeart, and KeakaSenka for their lovely reviews!

Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use, smut, and other adult things. **Characters might be out-of-character**, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.

-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 5: First Meetings

-x-x-x-x-

_Mother of god…_

Yuma thought he was going to have a heart attack when his eyes finally fell victim to the burning depths of seductive sulfur Mist used as eyes. They had an unnaturally bewitching allure that pierced through the fog of music and moving bodies to pin Yuma down, leaving him unable to do anything but stare back helplessly. Like a pair of demonic magnets, they ensnared the poor teenager in a predatory gaze that seemed to make all the partygoers' presences simply melt into the oak flooring beneath their feet. Even the pounding music permeating the air seemed to dull to nothing more than a muffled throb in his ears the longer he remained trapped in that heated gaze.

Yuma felt himself shiver as a little blush painted itself across his cheeks. Mist was decked out in a black and white ensemble that had glints of silver shining here and there. He had his legs crossed in such a way that his stocking-covered legs (black with illegible white writing scribbled over the surface) were on full display and the pair of black, cuffed short pants he wore were riding up his thighs like someone was shamelessly pushing them upward. A black, sleeveless jacket with a crisscrossed belt pattern showed off the lithe muscles of his arms and, really, he was hard to look at without inappropriate thoughts filtering through Yuma's mind. Despite having wrapped himself in more clothing than Yuma had seen during their first meeting, Mist looked (if possible) even _more_ desirable than before.

Yuma briefly clutched at his pendent to try and calm himself. He didn't know how long he stood there staring at the other man, caught up in the spell he had cast. But the illusion was abruptly shattered the moment Mist deigned to wave him over with a little curl of his fingers.

'_Don't panic._' Yuma tried to tell himself, hand squeezing at his pendant before letting it go. He took a breath and swallowed a hard lump that had settled in his throat. '_Don't panic. Everything wi – __**eh?!**_'

A sliver of pink darted out to caress the edge of the margarita glass Mist held. He twirled the glass between his fingers while idly tracing the curved edges of the glass's rim with his exposed tongue. When his lips stretched into a smirk, the fleshy muscle slipped over the edge and dived into the neon pink contents of the drink. It curled itself up to lick inside the glass walls as Mist tilted the drink to allow the pink liquid to flood into his mouth. A trickle of pink escaped from the corner of his mouth when the glass was set upright and dripped down his chin. Mist blinked and brushed the trail away with a finger, only slipping it into his mouth to lick at the pink moisture seemingly as an afterthought.

_Oh god this just wasn't fair._

Yuma's face burned under the ferocity of an out-of-control blush and he almost turned around to leave. Mist looked like something out of a Greek myth. He was sinfully attractive, could probably seduce a nun out of her chastity vows, and had a voice that could cripple an entire army or make them turn traitor. Yuma must be out of his mind thinking he could survive a date with…with _that_.

But he was already here and if he tried to leave after being seen by Mist, the dark-haired succubus might just decide to follow him and if he brought _that_ back to the hotel…_aha_.

The scarlet-eyed teen gulped down another lump in his throat and pushed himself into moving forward. His movements were a little stiff despite his attempts to relax himself, but he couldn't help it. He felt like he was walking into a lion's den and was beyond nervous. Sure, there were plenty of witnesses around should Mist try something inappropriate or…well, damn, _look at him_, but still…

An amused chuckling reached his ears then and Yuma's cheeks puffed out a little when he realized the sound was coming from Mist. He was swirling the pink contents of his margarita glass around and around while idly scrapping his painted black nails against a dangly skull earring he wore.

Ah jeez.

"_Yuma_~" came the greeting once Yuma was within earshot. The teen couldn't stop his shiver at hearing his name being rolled out in such a sensual drawl. "You _came_."

Yuma tried very, _very_ hard not to take that as sexually as Mist made it sound, but the eternally amused curl of Mist's lips and the glitter of mischief in his eyes made that near impossible. His mind splashed into the gutter rather abruptly and for the briefest of seconds, an imaginary flash of naked bodies and moaned names tore a very vivid path through Yuma's mind. For some reason he couldn't fathom (and there was an ample amount of sarcasm in there), in his imagination, Yuma was the unfortunate soul being pushed into making those ridiculous mewls by a swift tongue and oh-so-_very_ talented fingers.

He coughed as his face flushed even more. He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms, eyes averting from Mist's in embarrassment as the mental picture was quickly dispelled.

No, no, and _hell_ _no_. Yuma didn't need any of _those_ kinds of thoughts worming into his brain, thank you very much. Especially not in public. Especially not with Mist like _right there_.

An eyebrow rose at the teen's expression, but Mist shrugged his curiosity off without putting much thought into it. He snapped his fingers to draw Yuma's attention back onto him and silently gestured to the empty seat on his left with a flick of his wrist.

"You need to loosen up a little, cutie." Mist said, a purr making its way out of his throat. He tipped his glass in Yuma's direction. "Care for a drink? You look like the type that would enjoy something on the sweet side~"

Feeling awkward enough as is, Yuma took the offered seat, but waved a hand at the offer and chuckled nervously.

"Ahm, I don't exactly drink." Yuma admitted sheepishly. Not that he hadn't tried to before (because he had at a sleep over at a friend's house once; Shark was a strangely cuddly drunk), but forgetting the fact that he wasn't the legal drinking age yet, he didn't particularly like the taste of alcohol. It was kinda gross and he couldn't remember everything he did while hammered. Bit of a deal breaker, you know. "I'll take juice if they've got it, though."

Mist hummed at him questioningly and took another sip of his drink.

"Is that so? Hm. What a shame. I had the perfect drink in mind for you, too." he replied, appearing a bit disappointed and he was, just a bit. But only a tiny bit. The rest of him was cheering. Astral couldn't handle drinking something alcoholic unless he couldn't taste the alcohol itself. Otherwise, he preferred something distinctively fruity. So, Yuma was the same way? How utterly perfect was this again? "Juice, hunh? Hey, Thomas!"

An annoyed grumbling and a slam of glass against the counter marked the appearance of a slightly tanned individual with a scar running across his right eye. His strikingly wild hair was the melted blend of a fiery sunset and his mauve colored eyes shone with an intensity that could have melted steel.

"_I'm right here_." he said, a scowl on his face. He leaned against the counter with his hands splayed over the bar table and pinned the dark-haired man with an annoyed glare. "You _don't_ have to yell. _Shit_."

Mist turned in his seat a bit and tilted his head and body back until he was practically lying atop the counter, staring up at Thomas with an upside-down view. Unfazed by the glare being thrown his way, Mist threw a random gesture at Yuma with the hand he was using to hold his drink and tutted.

"Cutie wants something fruity." he stated. With his other hand, he gestured to Astral (who, while still trying to ignore Mist, kept stealing glances over at Yuma, curiosity apparent). "You know, like killjoy over here. Make it happen~"

That seemed to draw Astral's wandering attention away from Yuma and the elder of the two siblings huffed out a small sigh before taking hold of his shimmering blue drink and lightly sipping at it. He looked annoyed, Yuma noted, but he said nothing in response to Mist's small jab.

'_I wonder who he is_.' Yuma thought, blinking over at the mysterious person seated on Mist's other side curiously. Yuma couldn't really see his face due to locks of ghostly pale hair being in the way, but the way the man was seated (his posture) made him come across as…well, it was probably odd to think about another guy, but…_pretty_. '_Mist seems to know him. A friend maybe?_'

"I don't take orders from _you_." Yuma heard Thomas respond and the teen's attention briefly returned to him. The man had a hand on his hip and the other was drumming its fingers against the counter. "I don't care how many drinks you buy. That doesn't make you my goddamn boss."

"…has anyone ever told you that you're _extremely_ hot when agitated~?"

Thomas rapidly blinked at the response, anger suddenly draining from his features. He shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh before abruptly turning his attention to Yuma while Mist chuckled to himself. The bartender's eyes softened a bit and he sent the teen a little smile.

"So, what did you have in mind?" he asked, making a vague gesture at a wall of bottles and drink machines behind him. Yuma blinked as he looked. Were those slushy machines? "We've got literally everything. What kinda juice you want?"

Yuma hummed in thought as he pondered over the question for a minute. His eyes lit up when an answer came to him.

"Apple!"

The excited exclamation earned a small, amused chuckle from Thomas and the bartender turned away from them to retrieve the requested beverage.

"Apple it is then."

Over on Mist's other side, the stranger dressed in a thin, oversized grey sweater with matching beret let out a short laugh. It drew Yuma's attention back to him and the teen smiled sheepishly. One, because he realized how overeager he sounded in his reply to Thomas and two, whoever the guy was, his tiny laugh had been kinda cute.

"Ah, right, how rude of me." Mist spoke up rather suddenly. He pulled himself back into an upright position and gestured an open palm towards his brother. "Yuma, this is my brother and before you ask, yes. We're twins."

Yuma blinked at the information and tilted his head slightly. Brother? Twins?

"Twins?" he repeated.

Mist's brother set his drink down and turned to face Yuma. Yuma had to widen his eyes a little in wonder. He could see the family resemblance much more clearly now that he could actually see the man's face, but _oh lord_. The guy had a pair of pretty golden eyes that shone like soft rays of sunlight and his skin was the kind flawless pale that you only saw on models. Perhaps that was a bit strange for an island native (assuming Mist and his brother were residents here) and even stranger considering how sinfully tanned Mist was, but the porcelain skin just seemed to fit. He was entrancing to look at, like an angel sculpted from the purest of white marble.

He was _really_ pretty. Too pretty to be real. The hell kind of genetics did these two have?

"Mm, yes, but unlike my sweet little virgin of a sibling here, _I'm_ the _fun_ one~" Mist said, a catty grin on his lips as he took another sip of his drink. His brother sighed at him. "He's the...what, nerdy? Is that the word I'm looking for?"

"Please ignore him." Mist's brother interrupted in the most pleasant tone of voice Yuma had ever heard. Something tickled at the back of Yuma's mind just then. That voice sounded so much like - "He doesn't have a filter between his brain and his mouth unfortunately."

Yuma noted that he had a pretty smile, too. His cheeks heated up in blushing pink.

"Astral." the elder continued, placing a hand against his chest to indicate he was giving his name. It caused Yuma's eyes to widen a bit in surprise. Astral…the same guy from the radio station?! He thought he had been imagining things, but _oh god, it was him. He was really meeting him_. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Yuma."

-x-x-

It didn't take long for Mist to make his exit after finally introducing his "date" to his dear elder brother. Oh, he had stayed for a bit (to chat, irritate/flirt with Thomas some more, and shamelessly flaunt himself in front of his next bed buddy), but after realizing how easily the two were getting along (and how quickly his presence was being forgotten), he had decided to carry on with his own plans for the evening. He could let nature carry on with his mission to get Astral laid and on the off chance that it failed…well, it's not like it would be the first time Mist had failed to get his brother naked in bed with someone. Getting Astral to do anything even remotely "bad" was like Mist trying to go a week without sex. It was damn near impossible.

"You fucking _tease._"

The growled out words came not two seconds after Mist had passed through the still-open back door to the Lagoon and it made him pause for a brief moment in bewilderment. That quickly ended when the voice registered within his mind, but a pair of calloused hands wrapped themselves around Mist's arms and he was forcibly shoved up against the adjoining wall. A sharp spark of pain shot through his back as the raised sections of bamboo and the bits of metal twining them together dug into him, causing Mist to let out a pained noise he would have kept to himself had he seen the rough treatment coming.

'_Ooho~_ _**Someone's**__ eager._'

Amused though he was by this sudden "attack", he couldn't help the warning growl that rumbled in his throat. His hands shot up to grasp his attacker's shoulders and he dug his painted nails into the exposed strips of unmarred flesh peeking through the man's ripped white shirt, earning a pained hiss as he held on. His eyes narrowed into slits of amber flames as a malicious smirk stretched across his lips.

"And just what are _you_ going to do about that, _hmm_~?" he asked, his voice dipping into a hot, heavy drawl that whispered across the other man's ears like breaths of fire from a dragon. He leaned into his assailant's chest and allowed his voice to dip even lower until it was little more than a vulgar whisper in the wind. "_Gonna fuck me sorry, little band boy~_?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Arms greedily wrapped around his waist and pulled him flush against the mass of muscled warmth barricading his exit. Hands roamed, pulling at cloth and leather until they eventually found his hips and clung to them like tendrils of thick vine strangling the metallic surface of a window lattice. A rolling purr of delight tumbled from Mist's still grinning lips as fingers slipped over the hem of his shorts and trickled under his dark-colored underwear to shamelessly rub at the junction where thigh met pelvis.

"Sounds like a good idea, _sugar_." the other said, pushing up against Mist's lithe figure. His fingers were teasing now, slowly trailing themselves up and down Mist's thighs and lower abdomen in insistent caresses. The sensations it gave him were almost maddening and though Mist did well to bite back any embarrassing mewls he had dancing on his tongue, he couldn't keep his hips still. "I'll have you _screaming_ for an encore before the night is over."

Without any sort of warning, his fingers flew back up to dig into Mist's hips and with a harsh tug, he pulled their lower halves together, creating a delicious friction of grazing cloth against sensitive skin as their pelvises grinded together unashamedly. Belts clinked together and pleasured grunts rattled the music laden air like foreign lyrics dropping from the mouths of exotic dancers. Teeth nipped at Mist's skin as the other man leaned close and buried his face into the crook of his neck. It forced a predatory growl from out the depths of Mist's throat and his fingers clenched around the musician's shoulders, nails sinking into the bared flesh like a hot knife through butter. The action created little crescent-shaped pools of crimson that bubbled up around his fingertips, staining them in shades of red as scarlet streaks trickled down the man's muscled biceps like fresh strings of honey dripping from a spoon.

"_Oh_, we'll see who is—_ahh_-screaming for who." Mist replied, barely managing to bite back a moan as he was thrust into. Hands reached back to grab at his ass and teeth grazed his jawline as the other man gradually kissed and bit his way upward. "Don't-_ngh!_—underestimate me, you—_ah, fuck!_ _Do that again __**right now**__."_

A rather loud, metallic bang echoed around them as the musician gave a particularly forceful thrust and the two of them accidentally knocked into a rusted metal barrel sitting idly beside them. The singer's lips curled into an amused smile despite the annoyed growl Mist gave and he gave the younger's ass a squeeze.

"Like—_uh_-that, _doll_?"

The little pet name earned him a rather hard hair pull as Mist tugged him down into a brief kiss that ended with his bottom lip being savagely bitten. Though still completely turned on by Mist's aggressiveness, the musician couldn't help but wince. If that bite had been any harder, it could have broken his skin.

"_Don't_ call me doll." Mist stated, an edge of warning curling on his tongue. He sent back a forceful thrust and huffed out a small chuckle at the groping reaction he received. "Not unless you want to get—_unh!_-hurt."

The other was panting against him from the steady build-up of euphoric coils electrifying his arousal. Mist felt the same sensations shuddering though his own body and he was doing everything in his power to increase its severity, rubbing himself against the singer's body like a kitten rolling in catnip and letting his bloodied hands wander the expanse of skin available like it would up and disappear on him. The breath fanning against his face felt like air spilling from an overheated engine and it positively _reeked_ of the smell of alcohol, but there was something about it that only added to the man's grungy charm and Mist didn't bother to protest when a pleasured hiss he released was quickly swallowed by a pair of chapped lips that couldn't resist the temptation to devour his any longer.

They grazed and slid and overlapped over one another's lips in a frenzy of vicious kisses. The feel of those moistened, rough curves dragging themselves over his again and again and again could have made even the most prudish of people feel like they were having a religious experience. And when tongues came out and teeth started nipping here and there and _everywhere_, a chill ran a teasing finger down Mist's spine.

_God this was perfect._

The sound of their combined panting was loud despite the blaring background of cover songs the lingering Disaster Train members were performing back inside. It briefly reminded Mist that the backstage door was still cracked open and anyone that walked by could have seen them shamelessly grinding against each other like a pair of horny animals, but the thought of being caught only fueled the lust clouding his mind. Another shiver trickled down his body and he felt himself reach his limit as the coils of ecstasy pounding inside of him snapped. He came in a shuddering mess that was matched by his partner's nearly identical reaction, both out of breath and barely able to keep themselves standing.

"…_fuck_…" the singer rasped out, hands still clinging to Mist's hips.

Though he was still panting and felt a bit drained, Mist managed to pull himself up to wrap his arms around the singer's neck. He leaned over to nip at his ear and purred.

"_Fuck_ _me_." he whispered and punctuated his demand with a nip at the man's neck. He could feel a shiver run through the other man's body and Mist couldn't help but purr again "I don't hear myself screaming for that encore you promised me~"

A hand squeezed at his ass again and another come to thread its fingers through his hair. There was a pull and suddenly they were kissing all over again, just as sprinkled with lust as their previous kisses had been. They rubbed against one another and hands roamed shamelessly, grazing against skin and pulling at articles of clothing enough to undo buttons and clasps. When their lips separated once more, they reluctantly untangled themselves from around one another. The musician took a step back and held out a hand.

"Already got everything set up for us, doll~"

Mist growled at the pet name, but took the offered hand nonetheless and allowed himself to be lead towards wherever the musician was staying. As they walked, however, Mist couldn't help but steal a glance back at the Lagoon, thoughts of his brother invading his mind.

'_Don't fuck it up, Astral._' he thought, frowning a bit. A flash of concern crossed his features for the briefest of seconds. '_…stay safe, idiot._'

-x-x-x-x-

Serena: Just to throw this out there really quick, _**no**_. I'm not going to be pairing Mist up with that random background OC I didn't even bother to name. That goes for any more Mist may have "relations" with in the future. As for Astral and Yuma, you'll actually get to see how their unexpected date went next chapter. lol Anyways~ I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Till next time~!


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